Inferno! Volume 1 (1) Paperback – October 9, 2018

A copy of this book was received from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.Inferno is a collection of eleven stories of varying lengths from various worlds – it truly has something for every Warhammer reader. My favorite story was ‘A Common Ground’ by Mike Brooks, a Necromunda story with nice depth of setting for its length and characterization that captured my attention from the first line. I also very much enjoyed ‘The Firstborn Daughter’ by Filip Wiltgren, an Astra Militarum story that featured a very memorable main character (that I totally hope to see again!) and a handful of evocative flashbacks. All the stories, however, held their own and kept me reading.Frequent readers of Warhammer stories should be aware that this collection contains several stories that are also available for purchase as individual stories. I did initially find this annoying, especially as I already owned one of the stories, but after checking publication dates discovered the anthology was published before all but two of the stories. Another element that potential readers should be aware of is that the final story in the anthology, entitled ‘At the Sign of the Brazen Claw’, by Guy Haley, is actually the first installment in a serial. It does have some sense of closure to it, so one could potentially read it and never read another in the serial, but it seems that parts of the story are released in each Inferno anthology, and readers who wish to read the complete story will need to pick up each book in the series.Overall, I found Inferno volume 1 an intriguing, multifaceted romp through the various Black Library worlds, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to readers who enjoy short stories and aren’t too stuck in one particular Warhammer age or another. I for one have already ordered the second in the series, and can’t wait to see what lies in store!

Seriously one of the best Warhammer anthologies I've ever read. Very satisfying and fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love being able to dip into different authors' takes on the Warhammer universes.

The original 'Inferno!' was a periodic anthology magazine published by Games Workshop’s Black Library department during the 90s and, to celebrate the department’s 20th anniversary, the title was revived as a regular short story anthology book. This first volumeThe first story in this book is 'The Unsung War', written by David Annandale, a reasonably good piece that sees a pair of Ultramarines Intercessors fighting against two different xenos invasions in the cramped confines of a merchant ship. The story is as well written as usual for the author, and does a good job of setting the scene for the narrative. The human character in the story was also quite interesting. Overall the story was solid, if nothing spectacular and is worth a good four stars on its own.The second story is 'NoHero' by Peter McLean. Written as the journal of an Astra Militarum soldier trying to survive on a jungle world about to be overrun by Orks, the story is a lot more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be, even with my slight dislike of stories written the first person. The story has some very good characters, with the unnamed main character being particularly good. The story has some nice atmosphere and some nice action. The story is definitely worth a full five stars.The Age of Sigmar story, the 'Path to Glory' by Evan Dicken follows three characters -- a soldier, a mage, and a noble -- as they try to survive the destruction of their empire at the dawn of the Age of Chaos. This is the longest story in the anthology and is very interesting seeing the three characters develop over the course of the narrative. The action in the book is well written, and entertaining, and while the plot may be a little predictable, it was still fun watching it happen. The story easily scores five stars.Story four, 'A Common Ground' by Mike Brooks, is a Necromunda story about a Goliath pit fighter who given a tempting offer by a mysterious woman. The story is quite short, but has some nice action and a good end that makes it a solid 4 stars.The Warhammer 40,000 story 'The Emperor’s Wrath', by Steven B Fischer, is an interesting story as it is written from the perspective of an orphan on a war-torn world, and how he reacts to the forces that come to save him. The story has some nice development for the main character but, while it has some good action, lacks some of the excitement of the other stories in the book and I feel it is only worth around three stars.'Waking the Dragon' by Josh Reynolds is a Warhammer Fantasy Battles story set near the beginning of The End Times, and sees the famous necromancer Heinrich Kemmler attempting to raise an army, only to come across someone more powerful than he expected. This is a very entertaining story that briefly delves into Kemmler’s background and includes some nice action scenes. Kemmler’s wight partner, Krell, is one of my favourite Undead characters and it is always good to see him in action. Tis story is well worth a full five stars.'The Enemy of My Enemy' by Nate Crowley is a Warhammer 40,000 story about a General who attempts an unorthodox strategy when a Tyranid Hive Fleet interrupts the ongoing war between the Astra Militarum and the Orks. This is a fun story that has humour that is usually present when the Orks are depicted as something other than mindless brutes. While there is very little first-hand action until the end, the story is still very good, and well worth a full five stars.The Warhammer Fantasy Battles story 'How Vido Learned the Trick' by Josh Reynolds is another humorous and entertaining story that sees a halfling manservant confronted by an assassin while his master is absent. The story is very well written, with Vido’s deductions in particular being nicely presented, and he seems like a very interesting character. The story is a solid five stars.'Firstborn Daughter' by Filip Wiltgren is a good Warhammer 40,000 story about the first woman to serve in a Vostroyan Firstborn Astra Militarum regiment. The story is well written and interestingly presented, with the narrative switching backwards and forwards between the present and the main characters backstory. While the plot of the story is a little predictable to anyone who knows the setting, it was still entertaining to read with some nice action and a satisfactory conclusion. A five star story.'Mercy' by Danie Ware is a short and basic Warhammer 40,000 story. The narrative sees Sisters of Battle from the Order of the Bloody Rose defend a ruined chapel on a backwater world from Orks. While nothing special, the story has some reasonable action scenes and is probably worth three and a half stars.The final story in the anthology is the Age of Sigmar story At the Sign of the Brazen Claw by Guy Haley. Taking the form of a story within a story, 'At the Sign of the Brazen Claw' sees the innkeeper of the Brazen Claw inn tell the tale of how he came to build the strangely placed establishment. This is an interesting story that shows how strange the Mortal Realms can get, and includes a cameo by Prince Maesa from some of Guy Haley’s other short stories. This story is worth a solid four stars.As well as the stories listed above, the book also includes an introduction to both the anthology itself and each individual story, notes on the authors, and an excerpt from the book 'Blood of Iax' by Robbie MacNiven.Overall, this first 'Inferno!' anthology includes a nice selection of stories and I am sure that most Games Workshop fans will find something they enjoy and I would rate the book as a whole as being worth four stars.

I enjoyed all the stories contained within this book.

Good read